With NFL head coaching jobs available, Alabama's Nick Saban continues to be a popular subject of rumors.

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Bucs Reportedly Will Discuss Saban

Tuesday, Jan. 12

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported the Buccaneers "Will and have considered almost every [head coach], including Alabama's Nick Saban."

Colts Reportedly Were Interested in Hiring Saban

Sunday, Jan. 3

Prior to the decision to retain head coach Chuck Pagano, the Colts were expected to contact Saban, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Rapoport also noted Saban "always says no" when professional and other college football teams attempt to hire him, so the Colts may just be joining this "long list."

Saban Would Be Leaving Massive College Legacy Behind to Chase Pro Success

Saban would be leaving a premier job at Alabama, where he's gone 105-18 with four national championships in nine seasons.

Saban spent two seasons in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins in 2005-06, going 15-17. But he reiterated before his team's College Football Playoff semifinal win over Michigan State that he was unlikely to leave the Crimson Tide.

"I don't see it ever happening, and I know every year somebody has me going somewhere else," Saban told Chris Low of ESPN.com. "I think a lot of it isn't just about the coaching part. What people don't understand is they forget you're a person. They forget you have a wife and two kids and a grandbaby, and they all live in Birmingham."

But given Saban's track record at the college level and the fact he would be a splashy hire, he remains appealing to NFL teams. And he may yet have an urge to prove he can coach in the NFL, as he said in an ESPN interview in September (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk), "If we'd had Drew Brees, I might still be in Miami."

Saban has maintained that during his tenure with the Dolphins, he wanted to sign Brees in 2006, but team doctors nixed the deal due to Brees' shoulder injury. The team instead traded for Daunte Culpepper, who appeared in only four games for Miami. Saban's comments suggest he feels he could have succeeded in the NFL if he'd had the right quarterback.

The question for Saban, then, will be whether he's willing to consider leaving the program and the life he's built in Alabama for the challenge of the NFL.